Tuesday, May 26
Neil Parker
2015-05-26
Paul Romanuk is the worst play-by-play caller in the league. It is easy to mix players up on occasion, and older folk often lose the puck, hell the younger ones do, too.
But Romanuk is a mess. I’m sure he is a great guy, though. No disrespect.
I feel like at least three times in the Anaheim-Chicago series he has credited a goal to the wrong player. There are two teams and 45(ish) players, it isn’t rocket appliances. I can distinctly remember two occasions and one was tonight.
Do some homework. Watch them skate. Find out their roles and who they typically play with. Learning their numbers might help, too.
What stands out most, though, is how frequently Romanuk will miscall a defenseman leading the rush or call the names of four forwards in sequence.
One of these things isn’t like the others, Paul. The miscalls don’t make sense. It is almost as if he is guessing.
A lot of times, former players and coaches make a smooth transition to the media side initially. They can call on their own experiences, but eventually, there isn’t anyone left they’ve played or coached against. Those analysts either do the work to stay in touch with the game, or they stand out as broken records that rely on sports idioms and adages.
What is Romanuk’s excuse? How can you consistently goof up names? Plus, wasn’t he banished to the Spangler Cup?
***
I made a fantasy baseball trade this weekend, and as I’ve begun to surf the forums here, I feel like I have a somewhat unique approach to fantasy trades.
It is absolutely possible to trade away more value than you receive and improve your team. The notion of winning the deal has ruined many of opportunities to build a better club. The fear of a trade backfiring and losing the deal can be equally preventive.
An interesting side note here is the only other team Kesler would accept a trade to last spring was Chicago. The Blackhawks still have a hole up the middle, whereas the Kesler-Ryan Getzlaf one-two punch is one win from the finals.
It would be interesting to know what the Blackhawks would have had to trade to land Kesler, or if they even tried. Kesler’s $5 million dollar contract expires next season, and as far as cap hits go, it is likely he receives a raise this for the 2016-17 season.
Additionally, looking back, what Anaheim dealt was as much a gain as they received, as in they didn’t part ways with any of their young defensemen. They dealt from a position of strength and retained Jakob Silfverberg, Patrick Maroon, Kyle Palmieri and Matt Beleskey who are all now playing a significant role in this run.
Most importantly, though, Cam Fowler, Hampus Lindholm and Sami Vatanen weren’t dealt, and one of them should have been a piece of the deal.
Although, it would be difficult to say Vancouver didn’t improve this season, as they made the playoffs when they were likely a fringe bet, at best.
***
Much will be made of Bryan Bickell failing to get the puck in deep on the final goal, but it isn’t an isolated incident. Chicago has consistently struggled to own both bluelines.
I had a nice discussion with a Hawks fan recently, and he cited it as a major problem. During Game 4 the mic was close to the bench and you could hear Quennville on multiple occasions yelling to get the puck in deep.
It would be frustrating to see a team cycle you to death because they took care of that minor detail of the game, and then watch your club fail time and time again to make their defensemen — who are undersized for the most part — turn and play puck retrieval. Chicago should be forcing Fowler, Lindholm and Vatanen to be chasing the puck into their defensive corner all night.
Anaheim has capitalized on turnovers, and because they’re executing at the blue lines, they’re not providing the same opportunities to the Blackhawks. At least, they’re not providing it as frequently.
Obviously entering the zone with possession is ideal, but it isn’t always an option. A well-calculated dump and chase can result in regained possession as easily as a pass. However, what cannot happen is failing to do either, and being caught flat footed with the opposition staring at a quick outlet pass which leads to an odd-man rush.
Here is the Beleskey overtime winner, where the above scenario plays out.